Rainwater run-off from roofing and other surfaces, including overflow from gutters, downspouts, drainpipes, and other water-handling channels can cause appreciable erosion and other water-related damage to the interior and exterior of a building structure. Unless properly directed away from the building foundation, rainwater run-off can collect or flow around the sides of a house or other structure, leaking into basement areas, degrading above- and below-ground portions of the foundation, forming pits and holes and washing away soil and plants, and causing unpleasant or even unsafe conditions for those in and around the building.
Over centuries, a number of approaches have been devised for directing rainwater run-off away from a building foundation. Various types of splash blocks are available for re-directing gutter outflow. Splash blocks conventionally used include those made of concrete or plastic, generally flat and with various shapes, such as rectangular, possibly with side walls for reducing splash-over along the edges.
Downspout extensions have also been designed to help solve the run-off problem. Largely tubular, these devices connect to the existing downspout opening and channel the output flow to some distance away from the opening. Downspout devices that extend the gutter system can be rigid or flexible, can fold away or be permanently extended, and are commonly formed from sheet metal or plastic.
As is well known, each type of solution that has been developed for handling this problem faces a number of limitations. Splash blocks, for example, are often quite heavy and can obstruct easy building access. More importantly, splash blocks direct all of the water flow in a single direction. With heavy rainfall, splash blocks can be ineffective, allowing splash-over or simply redirecting excess water for pooling at some alternate location. Downspout extensions, although helpful in some situations, typically require regular maintenance to prevent clogging and can present a tripping hazard for those walking near the structure. Neither splash blocks nor downspout extensions spread the rainwater over a broad angular span; instead, the run-off often tends to pool in low areas or to cause erosion in some cases.
Outside corners of a building are particularly prone to problems in handling rainwater run-off and are poorly served by conventional rain-handling solutions. Downspouts are often located along outside corners, channeling water downwards at corners from upper gutter and sloped-roof structures, often at significant pressure. In addition, overflow of gutters at these points, due to high volume or blockage of drain holes, can lead to significant amounts of water flowing down from the roof, outside and alongside the downspouts. Unless some type of rain diversion device at the outside corner is capable of accepting and redirecting high volumes of water, as well as handling water that may not be properly channeled through the appropriate downspouts, there is risk of overflow, erosion, and other damage.
Splash blocks and other conventional rainwater diverters often fail to provide sufficient protection along outside corners. Even when they work well, these devices tend to direct all of the water into a single area, resulting in localized pooling or erosion under heavy rain conditions.
Another problem that has not been addressed using conventional splash blocks and rainwater diverters relates to unwanted pests of many kinds that can use these devices as hiding or nesting places, as well as weeds, algae, and other plant life that can find conventional splash blocks favorable for supporting growth. Heavy concrete splash blocks are difficult to move once they are positioned and other proposed solutions make it difficult to clean and maintain areas near the foundation of a house or other building.
It can be appreciated that there remains a need for a rainwater diverter that is particularly effective along outside corners of a building structure and that can be easily installed and used to reduce erosion and other water-related damage.